Last Saturday saw Randwick take centre stage on the first day of The Championships, with nine of the 10 events classified as Group-level races. Outside of that, we saw Bendigo and Ascot host their annual Golden Mile Day and Roma Cup Day meetings.
With Randwick racing in the Heavy range from race two onward, any horse that enjoyed the wet conditions had a far better chance of winning, rather than following any particular racing pattern that became apparent on the day. Both Bendigo and Ascot raced fair for the entire program, with the best horse winning from the front, middle and rear of the field.
Randwick – The Championships Day 1
Track rating: Soft 6 (Heavy 8 after R2, Heavy 9 after R3)
Rail position: True entire circuit
Race 10: PJ Bell Stakes (1200m) | Time: 1:13.00
- Horse to follow: Magic Time (1st)
One runner that revelled in the conditions after nine races were run and won on a very wet track at Randwick was Magic Time from the Grahame Begg stable. After winning her first two starts in Victoria, including the Listed Amanda Elliot during the Melbourne Cup Carnival, the daughter of Hellbent was dominant first-up last Saturday, running on from mid-field to defeat Parisal and Lady Laguna by 1.3 lengths. Begg said post-race that he doesn’t know where this three-year-old filly’s ceiling is yet, despite the fact that she is undefeated in three career starts.
When to bet: Following a convincing victory over her fellow three-year-old fillies over 1200m on Saturday, the next step appears to be the Group 3 Carr Stakes over 1400m at Randwick on April 15, where she will face many of the same rivals once more. Jordan Childs is confident that Magic Time will get 1400m comfortably, which gives us the confidence to back her next start.
Bendigo – Golden Mile Day
Track rating: Soft 5 (Good 4 after R3)
Rail position: True entire circuit
Race 1: Benchmark 100 Handicap (1400m) | Time: 1:23.04
- Horse to follow: Floating Artist (4th)
The first race on Golden Mile Day at Bendigo saw the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained Floating Artist return from a 515-day spell after last running in the 2021 Melbourne Cup. Given that his three victories in Australia have all come over distances of 1600m, 1700m, and 1800m, the 1400m Benchmark 100 Handicap was always going to fall short of his best. However, this seven-year-old gelding ran up the rail to finish fourth, just over a half-length behind Imperial Lad, while carrying 60kg. The son of Nathaniel showed promising signs in his first-up run, and connections would have been delighted to see their gelding perform so well after such a long layoff.
When to bet: The logical next step will be a 1600m race, but when that happens will depend on how Floating Artist pulls up from his fresh run. If he pulls up well and only needs a two-week break, he could be entered in the VOBIS Gold Mile at Sandown on April 15, where he would be a good bet.
Ascot – Roma Cup Day
Track rating: Soft 5
Rail position: True entire circuit
Race 8: Roma Cup (1100m) | Time: 1:03.23
- Horse to follow: Amelia’s Jewel (1st)
Amelia’s Jewel, the star three-year-old filly, returned from a four-month break on Saturday to compete in the Group 3 Roma Cup over 1100m, giving her one prep run before her main target on April 15, The Quokka over 1200m. This Siyouni daughter finished her spring campaign with back-to-back wins in the Group 2 WA Guineas and Group 1 Northerly Stakes, and with this win, she has a career record of seven wins and one second from eight starts.
When to bet: With The Quokka being the target race for sometime now, Amelia’s Jewel will be in tip-top shape come April 15 at Ascot, and she is now the raging favourite for the race. Barring a horrific barrier or extremely bad luck, she looks the clear horse to beat in the $4 million race.
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